


Walking Through Fire

by solohux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Hurt Kylo Ren, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Hux, Slavery, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:45:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solohux/pseuds/solohux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kylo Ren fails to return from a mission, Hux feels the need to personally investigate.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've quickly become Kylux trash. Hux being protective of Kylo is one of my favourite tropes so here we are! This takes place pre-The Force Awakens.  
> (please heed the tags, this has some dark stuff in it towards the end!)

If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to get on Hux’s nerves, it's people who have no respect for punctuality. In Hux’s opinion, sticking to a schedule is simple, ensures the smooth running of tasks and almost guarantees optimal performance by all. He’d say he’s almost _proud_ of the way the _Finalizer_ runs like clockwork under his command. But one doesn’t have to be of genius-level intellect to know that Kylo Ren doesn’t share the General’s love of organisation and schedules. The esteemed Knight has failed to report in from his latest mission to Korda IV, a small, ice planet in Outer Rim territory where there have been reports of a large number of individuals who wished to offer their services to the First Order. Hux has never previously heard of the planet or what recourses it has to bargain with, so when Snoke had given the order for Ren to make a personal visit to gain intel on what benefit the planet could be to the First Order’s growing list of allies, Hux had been a little shocked to say the least. Ren isn't known for his negotiating skills.

A number of hours ago, Hux had received word that Ren and his accompanying Stormtroopers had landed safely and were due to meet with the leader one of one of the largest towns on the planet about what they could bring to the First Order.

Ren’s report is 105 minutes late. _And counting._

Hux straightens his jacket. He’s fully aware of the fact that Ren enjoys winding him up, to taunt him until Hux is red in the face, so perhaps missing his check-in time was Ren’s way of getting under Hux’s skin. The General paces the length of the bridge of the _Finalizer_ , weighing up his options.

“Try contacting Lord Ren again,” he says to Lieutenant Mitaka, who stands rigidly at his station as usual. Mitaka nods and begins flicking switches on his console as Hux stands intimidatingly next to him, watching his hands move. Perhaps Ren’s negotiations aren't going as smoothly as Snoke anticipated and he’s been caught up in conversation with the inhabitants of the planet. Why Snoke believes Ren and his ridiculous lightsaber are the best fit for this mission is beyond Hux.

“Sir,” Mitaka addresses him, “there’s no response. It seems as though their comms are deactivated.”

Hux gives him a puzzled look. “Even Ren’s?”

“Yes, sir. There’s no feedback from the Stormtroopers or Lord Ren’s comlink.”

 _Very odd_ , Hux thinks, _that all of them should be unreachable._ He feels a growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. _Unless something is wrong._

Snoke wouldn’t be pleased to find out that Hux hadn’t done anything practical upon learning that Ren and his squad were missing. It isn’t that the Supreme Leader has ever explicitly mentioned the word ‘babysitting’ but Hux knows Snoke had implied it on a number of separate occasions in the past. Ren isreckless, to say that least, but somehow Snoke believes that the boy is a valuable asset to the Order and its mission to take over the Galaxy. Hux doesn't really doubt this, he knows how powerful Ren is, he's seen the amount of raw energy that Ren keeps contained within himself, he knows of the inner turmoils that Ren must face by being constantly called to the light. Hux doesn't understand the ways of the Force but he's seen the way it tears Ren apart. Too many times has Hux wanted to ask whether Ren was alright, but Hux had never plucked up enough courage to ask. Ren hates him, of this he's certain. Their relationship with each other barely made it past civilised. But Hux knows he doesn't hate Ren. He may hate the way he recklessly acts sometimes but that was only the result of Ren behaving in a way that was directly the opposite of what Hux would do. Absently, Hux thinks that he admires Ren, in a strictly professional way, of course. Nothing vaguely romantic. Not in the slightest. 

Hux shrugs off the inapproptiate thoughts he begins to have of Ren and focuses back on the problem at hand. Thinking of the Knight in a way that would emotionally compromise him isn't logical, but here Hux is, attempting to push away the thoughts of how Ren's hair would feel against his fingertips, the way his lips would feel against his own. Hux clears his throat, disrupting his own thoughts. 

He looks back up at Mitaka, who stands waiting for Hux to give his orders. Hux thanks the stars that Mitaka isn't psychic. The planet isn’t too far away for it to be excusable for Hux to personally take his own squad and investigate what has happened to Ren. Hux rolls his eyes. If he did this, Ren would massively owe him.

“Inform Captain Phasma of the situation, Lieutenant, and tell her to ready both squad and an indiscreet ship for my departure to Korda IV.”

Before Mitaka can acknowledge his orders, Hux walks away from him and off of the bridge, his hands calmly clasped behind his back. It’s been a while since he’s been directly in the field and a small part of him feels a little excited. Just a small part though, most of him is cursing Ren for being so irresponsible, for disrupting Hux's _important_ work. Even when he isn’t around, Hux feels himself become almost irate at the mere thought of the things Ren gets himself into. But he feels concerned this time too, his instincts telling him that something is very wrong.

Hux walks briskly along the corridors to his quarters. Thinking ahead, he decides that it’s probably best to lie about his identity; to pretend he’s a simple visitor to the planet whilst he conducts his search for Ren. After all, if Ren _has_ gotten himself mixed up in some trouble, possibly Resistance-related trouble, then Hux barging in with First Order insignias all over his clothing probably isn’t the smartest move.

And Hux is all about making the smartest move.

He reaches his quarters and shuts the door, beginning to undress almost immediately, shedding his jacket, undershirt and trousers. He roots through his wardrobe for a few seconds before opting to wear a plain black jumper, something he finds stuffed at the very back of his wardrobe. He hasn’t many items of clothing that aren’t First Order uniform and Hux ponders over where the jumper actually came from. He pulls it on anyway, realising that it’s a little big for him on the shoulders but he hasn’t the luxury of time to question his fashion choices. He adjusts the jumper so it sits right on his thin frame, pulling the sleeves to their proper length halfway down his forearms. He pulls out a pair of creased dark blue trousers that are of a snugger fit than his First Order jodhpur trousers. Pulling his boots back on, Hux moves to look in the mirror. With Korda IV being an ice planet, he supposes he should find a coat to wear, seeing as his greatcoat has First Order symbols all over it but he notes that his greatcoat isn't in his wardrobe where he thought he left it, not that it matters now. He hasn't any other coats so Hux decides he'll have to go without.

Pulling the jumper on has caused his neat hair to become messy and Hux finds himself slicking the wayward red strands back down into their proper places. He can’t abide a messy haircut. His mind drifts to think of Ren’s hair; a mess of thick, black curls that only get messier and longer as Ren grows older. Hux makes a mental note to start an argument with Ren about his ridiculous hair when he finds him.

 _If_ he finds him.

////////////////////////////////////////

 

Captain Phasma hasn’t let him down; by the time Hux gets to the hangar, the ship and his squad of four Stormtroopers are waiting for him. The shuttle transport that has been prepped for him is unmarked, bearing no First Order insignias and has no record of ever being owned by anyone associated with the First Order. It is a small ship that they’d confiscated a couple of weeks ago from some illegal traders. It’d been left along in the hangar ever since and Hux reminds himself to praise Phasma for her idea to use it.

Whilst two of the troopers pilot the shuttle, Hux sits in the back, running over what he knows about the situation, which isn’t very much. Ren could be dead for all he knows. Hux pushes the morbid thought aside quickly with a shake of his head; if Ren _has_ been killed, he’d know. Surely there would be a disturbance in the Force if Ren were to be suddenly murdered and Snoke would feel it and inform Hux of Ren’s death.

 _So Ren isn’t dead,_ Hux thinks, _but what trouble he’s got himself into remains to be seen._

He folds his arms across his chest and leans his head back against the seat. The journey to Korda IV is relatively short as the ship was surprisingly quick and the _Finalizer_ had been stationed quite closely to the small planet. They have the coordinates of where Ren’s command shuttle landed so they head in that general direction but they're cautious enough to not make it obvious that they’re here to investigate Ren’s disappearance. The shuttle descends quickly down to the little blue planet. Hux leans forward in his seat to look out of the cockpit windows, seeing a vast mountainous region open up before them. Snow completely covers the ground and Hux finds himself squinting to get a better look at their environment. He sees a small collection of buildings in the distance which he deduces to be the town that Ren was supposedly conducting his negotiations in.

“Land away from the town,” Hux says and the pilot complies, flying the ship over the town and towards the mountains in the near distance. “There,” he says and points to a large collection of hills, covered white by the snowfall. The shuttle lands safely and quietly behind the hill and Hux is content that it will be hidden from unwanted attention whilst he devises his next move. Unclipping his seatbelt, he stands up and attempts to brush the creases out of his dark blue trousers. The Stormtrooper who is sat opposite him for the entire journey, BR-1367, stands too.

“What are your orders, General?” He says, his blaster gripped tightly in his hands.

Hux moves to the storage cupboard and sees a hooded black coat folded neatly in the bottom compartment. He smiles, feeling relieved that he won't have to go out into the cold in just his oversized jumper. He pulls it out and puts it on, finding it fits him rather well though it’s a little shorter than he personally likes, sitting just above his knees. He thinks of his warm greatcoat that is somewhere on board the _Finalizer_ and curses himself for it having First Order insignis on it like targets. The sooner he finds Ren, the quicker he can get back to the _Finalizer_. He continues rooting around in the cupboard and finds a brown, leather satchel.

“You are to remain here until I call for you. I will investigate the scene and attempt to locate Lord Ren. When I have found him, I shall call you for back-up.” He opens the brown satchel and places some mundane items in it, like a small canister of water and an old book that’s lying on the shelf; items that will help him become more innocent and inconspicuous when he gets into town. He notices a wallet lying on the top shelf of the cupboard. He reaches for it and opens it, finding an old ID card and a collection of credit bills stuffed in one of the compartments. Feeling curious, he takes out the ID card and has a look at who the previous owner of the ship was, a Corellian man by the name of Enun Kane. Hux decides that the wallet may come in handy so he stuffs it in the bag too.

He turns back to the stormtroopers. “You are not to leave this ship unless commanded to. Is that understood?”

The four troopers answer simultaneously with a salute and Hux is confident that they will obey his orders. Phasma trains her troops well.

He turns back to the cupboard and grabs two of the small blaster pistols from the shelf. He puts one of them in his bag and, lifting his coat, he carefully stuffs the other in the back of his trousers, the tight waistband holding it in place. Should things go a little more troublesome than he’s planned, Hux liked to have a spare blaster, just in case. He slips his comlink into one of the side pockets inside the satchel and closes it. Hux notes that his hands are already freezing and curses the cold. Just as he’s about to close the storage cupboard, he notices a pair of black leather gloves not unlike the ones he’s known for wearing on the bridge of the _Finalizer._ He grabs them and slips them on, finding that, like the coat, they’re a little big. Enun Kane was obviously a stockier man than Hux.

Grabbing the satchel, Hux throws it over his shoulder and pulls his hood up, bracing himself for the cold wind to hit him as soon as he leaves the ship. The ship’s ramp lowers and he walks down gingerly, being wary that the grip on his boots isn’t the best and that slipping down the ramp of the ship in front of four Stormtroopers wouldn’t be ideal. As he expected, the wind is bitterly cold. It isn’t currently snowing but the wind is harsh against his cheeks. Hux hates being too cold or too hot; it irritates him intensely, makes his skin feel itchy and uncomfortable. Or maybe it’s because the weather is something that’s completely out of his control.

There’s no designated path that leads into the town so Hux crunches his way through the fresh, untouched snow, trying not to think of the snow that he knew on his home planet. Snow days were few and far between when he was a child, not that his father would have allowed him to play in it anyway. Brendol Hux was nothing if not a killjoy, something which Hux had harshly learned from an early age. He shakes off the thoughts of his childhood, knowing that now isn't a good time to reminisce over the many ways that he is a disappointment in his father’s eyes.

Hux lowers his hood when he finally reaches the town, his red hair looking scruffier as a result. He runs his hand through the front of his hair feeling a little annoyed that he can’t straighten it out properly in front of a mirror. He looks around with a slight squint, the snowy ground too bright for his eyes. It’s a relatively large town but only a few people are out and about. The ground is no longer covered in snow; the floor has been paved with dark bricks and Hux can see that the whole town has been paved with the same material. There are shops and houses on either side of the wide pathway, the buildings themselves aren’t tall and look as though they’re made from materials such as bricks and concrete, to no doubt protect the owners from the harsh blizzards that come with living in an environment like this. Nothing too exquisite but these aren’t slums, he decides, as the exteriors are too well-kept. Hux turns his nose up. The smell isn’t too pleasant either; he can't quite put his finger on that the foul odour is but it doesn't smell fresh or clean. He continues his walk up the path, taking note of the way the path branches out into a town square, the path creating a perimeter around a tall clock tower in the centre of the square.

Gathered underneath the clock tower is a group of unpleasant-looking males, all human and all eagerly glancing up to the clock face every couple of seconds. They’re an odd looking bunch, like someone had thrown together the most random mix of people they could find. Some of the men are old, some young, some very smartly dressed and some dressed in tattered clothing. But all look eager and raring. They’re producing an obnoxious sound, hardy laughs and shouts of obscenities at the regular passers-by. Hux begins to think that the foul smell is coming from them. Hux frowns, unsure of what kind of world he’s just walked into. He decides to be bold and investigate the group but as he walks forward, something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye. Down one of the alleyways between two of the shops, he spots the outline of a small person. A young, light-haired male squats on the ground, his head in his hands and wearing the oldest-looking clothing Hux has ever seen. Hux mentally compares his clothes to the sacks that farmers use to transport their crops to market in; holey and shabby. The boy is clearly distressed about something and as Hux takes a step closer, he notices something even odder. The boy is wearing a silver collar around his neck with matching cuffs around his wrists and ankles. Before Hux can say anything, sees a door swing open down the alleyway, obviously a side-entrance to one of the shops. A fat man steps out and begins yelling at the boy, making him cower even more into his own hands. Hux stands watching, unknowing of whether he would be wrong to intervene. The fat man drags the boy up by his ear, chastising him in a language Hux doesn’t recognise.

His attention is taken away from the pair in the alleyway when he hears the sound of the clock tower chiming and the subsequent loud chatter of the group of men. Hux looks back in the alleyway, seeing that the boy and the fat man are gone. He shakes off any emotional response to what he’s just witnessed and walks with a confident stride to the group of men. He walks like he’s back on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ , as though he’s walking past his subordinates in a manner so arrogant that they wouldn’t dare question his authority.

None of the men speak to him as he walks to the edge of their group. Hux puts on a front and stands there, pretending to know _exactly_ what’s going on and stands next to them like he’s somebody to be reckoned with, like he always does. He stands with a rigid back, one hand in his coat pocket and the other grasping the strap of the satchel. Some of the men stare at him with slight confusion, obviously never having seen him around here before. Hux doesn’t attempt to engage in any sort of conversation with any of them nor does he look at anyone too closely in the eye. If someone here did know what happened to Ren, Hux would need to stay inconspicuous until he could devise a plan. Getting on the wrong side of some of these men would be a mistake, Hux could tell.

He stands still on the edge of the group and simply listens to their chatter, tuning into snippets of the conversation that two of the men are having behind him.

“Ten more minutes until the auction den opens, yeah. Think there’ll be many new ones today?”

“I reckon so. Kit likes to make sure there’s weekly new stock in for us regulars.”

“Weren’t you here last week?

“Yeah but the ungrateful scum I bought last time attacked me with a knife so I sold her on. I haven’t the time to break unruly slaves. I _thought_ that’s what Kit was meant to do.”

Hux felt his stomach drop. _Slaves._ That’s the business here; beings from across the galaxy are captured, brought here and broken until they can be sold for a high price in some sort of auction. He continues to listen in on their conversation.

“You did the right thing by letting her go. You gonna get another girl?”

“Nah, I’ll bid for a male this time. There’s less fight left in the boys once they're broken. Did you hear a rumour about the one they brought in this morning? Apparently he’s the prettiest boy that the den’s had in a while. Dark hair, pale skin, lips made for serving.”

As a realisation hits him, Hux’s knees threaten to give way. _Ren. They’re talking about Ren,_ he thinks and tries to settle the panic that’s rising in his stomach. Panic, and anger at the way they talk about Ren’s lips. _How fucking dare they._ Hux guesses that they have no idea who Ren actually is and what is status is as Master of the Knights of Ren, reckless apprentice to the ruler of the First Order. Hux swallows hard in an attempt to keep his face as emotionless as possible, not wanting to give away anything about his ulterior motives for being here.

The clock tower begins to chime, signalling the arrival of the fourteenth hour of the day on Korda IV. Hux notices the group being to gravitate towards the largest building in the town that’s located just opposite to where they’re stood and he guesses that this is the auction den that the two men were previously talking about. It’s much wider than any of the other shops on the street and stretches back at least twice as far, its exterior looking rather expensive and well-kept, as though hiding its secret internal operations. _Keeping up appearances,_ Hux thinks. He looks to the second floor where he sees a sign that reads ' _The Den'._ The lights inside the building flicker on, shadows begin moving past the two large windows on the bottom floor. Suddenly, the brown double doors swing inwards as they open for business, two tall, burly males walking outside to stand either side of the door. The group of men Hux is among rush forward towards the den, pushing past each other to get in first. Hux blindly follows, feeling slightly alarmed at the possibility of what he’s going to find.

His mind works quickly, trying to devise a backstory to the identity he would undertake should anyone decide to strike up a conversation with him; he would enter the dealing den and pretend that he’s looking to purchase a slave for himself. From what the other men had said, Hux deduces that the den only opens once a week and that this ‘Kit’ individual is somehow in charge of proceedings. Hux swallows hard. He feels nervous, his palms becoming moister in the leather gloves as he walks towards the den. He’s an exceptional liar, that’s not what his concern is. If he somehow manages to find Ren _alive_ in here, how the hell is he going to get them both out _alive_? He decides that he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. Now, he had to concentrate on looking like he knew what he was doing. Luckily, his years at Arkanis Academy had taught him how to do that.

The men have formed a queue outside the door and Hux finds himself joining the back of it, stepping forward slowly each time the line moves. When he gets close enough to see inside, he peers around the head of the man in front of him, looking at what he’s about to walk into. He doesn’t see much, just a porch-like room with, what looks to be, a check-in desk in the back wall. Hux watches carefully, looking at how he’s supposed to proceed. There’s a small, human woman at the desk with the same silver collar and cuffs on as he saw the young boy wearing before. Her dark eyes look extremely tired and the wrinkles on her skin tell Hux that she’s been here a while. He watches as each guest steps forward to the desk, empties their pockets whilst another larger man, a security guard Hux guesses, steps forward, giving the guest a half-hearted pat-down. The woman takes the confiscated items through the back, presumably to leave on a shelf ready for collection at the end of the event. The guest then enters the shiny black door to the left of the desk. Hux looks down at himself, realising that he’ll have to leave his bag with his comm _and_ blaster in. _Damn,_ he inwardly curses, he hadn’t expected for his weapons to be taken off him.

The woman at the desk calls “ _next,”_ and Hux steps forward, his expression hiding his growing panic.

“Could you place your bag on the desk, empty your pockets and remove your gloves, sir,” she says and Hux complies, taking the leather gloves off first before handing her his satchel. She begins rooting through the bag, pulling the blaster out of the bag and placing it gently on the table top. She pulls out the wallet too, placing it next to the blaster. She picks up the weapon and inspects it, Hux watching her closely. He doesn’t know what she’s looking for but he becomes distracted as the security guard steps closer and stands intimidatingly close to him. Only now does Hux remember that he’s got another blaster stuffed in the band of his trousers, concealed by his long, black coat. He feels his heart rate increase slightly. He could always pull it out now and tell them that he forgot it was there but something tells Hux that they wouldn’t buy that. He’d be dragged away, possibly arrested and all hope of rescuing Ren would be gone. The mission would be over and Hux would have failed, having left Ren in this awful place. Hux straightens up. He won’t allow any of that to happen.

“Arms out, sir,” the guard says and Hux hesitantly raises his arms, wondering if he can get out quick enough when the guard finds the gun. The security guard has an expression of exhaustion on his face and obviously doesn’t enjoy his job as much as he should. The pat-down isn't as near as rough as it should have been. The guard barely glides his hands over Hux’s chest, up his legs and down his arms. Hux can’t help but tense as the guard’s hands feel as though they’re about to reach around his back.

“Thank you, sir. Don’t forget your wallet and you may enter.” The guard speaks with an exhausted tone, as though that’s the millionth time he’s said that phrase and takes a step back, waiting for Hux to leave. Hux suppresses the urge to exhale sharply, feeling relieved that he still has his hidden blaster in the back of his pants. Grabbing the wallet from the desk and stuffing it in his coat pocket, he walks away, quicker than he should, and stands in front of the black door. He grabs the golden handle and pulls the door open, the smell of alcohol hitting him like a punch to the nose. The den itself is a large room with many tables dotted around in no particular pattern, like any typical pub Hux had known from his home planet. It’s already half-full with men, all sat at tables with glasses of alcohol in their hands, laughing loudly with each other. There’s a bar on the left-hand side where a young slave boy stands behind it, cleaning glasses. The lighting is quite dim and Hux finds himself struggling to get a good view of the room. He can see that there’s a grey, steel door in the back corner of the room with a guard stood intimidatingly in front of it and he presumes that’s where the slaves are kept.

_Ren._

His mind begins to drift to the thought of what kinds of torture they’re subjecting him to. Keeping a powerful Force-user like Kylo Ren detained for this amount of time would be no easy task. As a result of his wandering thoughts, Hux isn’t watching where he’s going, his gaze is locked on the steel door. He clashes shoulders with a man about the same height as him, hearing the sound of liquid hit the carpeted floor.

“Dammit!” The human man curses, giving his hands a rigorous shake in an attempt to dry them of his split drink.

“My apologies,” Hux says, not wanting to get on the wrong side of anyone in the den, “allow me to buy you another.”

The man looks up at Hux with dark eyes, his expression softening. “Only if you buy one for yourself too. You look like you need it.”

Hux isn’t sure how to take that comment but the man follows him to the bar anyway. Hux reckons that the man is about the same age as him, perhaps a couple of years older. His hair is wild and untamed, unlike Hux’s, as it looks like he’s just rolled out of bed without combing it, black strands falling over his forehead.

“Two Adumari beers,” the man says to the boy and the boy quickly sets out to grab two glasses from the overhead shelf with his shaking hands. Hux isn't really a fan of beers or ales; he doesn’t care for the aftertaste. But now is not the time to be picky. Everyone else in here is drinking beer and Hux decids that he would have to do so too if he wishes to blend in. He pulls out Enun Kane’s wallet from his coat pocket and grabs a couple of bills from it, tossing them to the boy as he hands them their drinks. The man holds his glass up for Hux to clang his against it. After taking a large mouthful, the man looks back at Hux.

“So, you got a name?” He says, licking the froth of the beer from his lips.

“Kane,” Hux says after a few silent moments, remembering the name of the man whose wallet is in his pocket. He isn’t even sure whether giving his real surname would have been an issue but it wouldn't be wise to take risks. Not when Hux has no idea what he was up against.

“Kane,” the man echoes, nodding slightly. “I’m Kit.”

Hux refrains from gasping. _The owner of the den,_ he thinks as he casts his mind back to the conversation he'd listened into when he was waiting outside. This is the man who captured and brought the people in to be enslaved. The one who’d, somehow, captured Ren.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Hux manages to say, feeling as though he could punch the man right here and now. He hadn’t pictured the owner of a slavers den to look like this in the slightest. His face is long and thin, with defined cheekbones and a rather small nose. He has a prominent, fresh-looking scar across his eyebrow which Hux finds himself staring at. Kit is dressed rather smartly too, something which Hux would normally appreciate in any other situation; black trousers, a grey shirt and a black jacket. He was also a lot bulkier than Hux, a similar body type to Ren’s. Not that Hux had taken a mental note of Ren’s body.

“You too,” Kit replies, taking another sip of his beer. “You here just to browse the merchandise or you actually looking to make a purchase? You look like the type of man who knows _exactly_ what he's looking for.”

Hux remembers the plan he devised earlier on, to pretend to be looking to buy a slave for himself. He takes another sip of the beer, resisting the urge to shiver as he swallows the unpleasant-tasting liquid. “I’m looking to buy. I heard you brought in a good one this morning.”

Kit laughs, some of his beer spilling over the side of the glass. “Yeah, he’s a real looker. Thought he was gonna escape but we got him.” He smiles as he obviously recalls the manner in which he managed to capture Ren. Hux feels his fist clench by his side “But I’ll tell you something,” he leans in a little to Hux, “I’ve heard a couple of the guys saying that they’re sure that the new boy is exactly what they’re looking for. You’d better be willing to part with a lot of credits if you want his mouth for yourself.”

As Kit laughs to himself, Hux manages to fake a smile, being unable to bring himself to laugh at the thought of violating Ren as if he weren’t human. He watches as Kit downs the rest of the beer in a large gulp, setting the glass down on the side of the bar.

“The show is gonna start soon so I’d better go check that all of today’s merchandise are being _compliant_.” He claps Hux’s shoulder with a smile on his face. “Good luck with the auction, Kane,” he says before walking off. Hux watches him leave, wanting nothing more to rip than man apart with his bare hands. Kit walks to the steel door and the guard opens it for him, closing it before Kit is barely through it.

Despite not liking the taste, Hux knocks back the rest of the beer, feeling as though he’s in dire need of a stiff drink if he’s going to be in control of the situation, though he wishes it was whiskey or wine instead. As he puts his glass down, the lights in the room brighten and the sound of clanking machinery catches Hux’s attention. He looks to where the sound is coming from, the back wall, and sees some sort of stage emerging up from the floor. Hux moves away from the bar and stands against the side wall, planning to take no part in the bidding process. He’ll stand and watch to see how things play out and then he’ll plan how he’s going to get Ren out of here without a commotion. Calling the Stormtroopers isn’t an option; his comm is in his bag in the check-in room. It is down to him, and only him, to save Ren.

Kit climbs on the stage with a microphone in his hand and the men in the room applaud, all eager for the auction to start. Hux feels sick. Kit starts by welcoming them all to the den and that he hopes they find what they’re looking for today. No more time is wasted before the first slave is brought out. To Hux’s disappointment, it isn’t Ren. It’s a young girl. She’s dragged out from the steel door by a guard. She stands in the middle of the stage, a collar and cuffs on her like the rest of the slaves Hux has seen today, except this time there’s a chain attached to the collar that the guard is tightly holding onto. Hux wonders why, as she looks far too broken to even consider attacking anyone or even making an attempt to escape. Hux stands with his arms folded, watching the scene. It’s like any other auction; the men shout out amounts of credits they wish to pay for ownership of the person on stage until no one will go any higher. The highest bidder becomes the new owner of the slave and another guard approaches them with a piece of paper with some sort of number on so they have proof that they won the bidding. The winner then has to wait until the end of the entire auction to collect their ‘merchandise’ from the back room, using their paper as proof.

After three bids have successfully taken place, Hux’s plan in clear in his mind. He plans to make no bid for Ren as, after all, he hasn’t got the kinds of money to buy Ren back, so he’s had to come up with another way of getting to him. Instead, after the bidding for Ren is finished and Ren’s ‘winner’ collects him from the back and attempts to get Ren back to his vehicle, Hux will intercept them and take Ren back by any means necessary.

Hux’s attention is brought back into the room when the men in the crowd become louder than they’ve been throughout the entire auction. Hux’s gaze shifts across the room to the steel door to where the guard is dragging someone out. The person on the end of the chain is putting up no sort of fight to stop himself being dragged out. In fact, Hux notes that he’s struggling to even stand up, his legs are visibly shaking through his dark trousers. His bare torso is littered with cuts and bruises, a little dry blood on his shoulder. As he’s hauled to the centre of the stage and into the light, Hux’s stomach ties itself in knots, his breath hitches in his throat.

 _Oh, Ren. What have they done to you_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare yourself for a lot of protective Hux!

Hux finds himself being unable to take his gaze away from the broken man who’s currently on stage being auctioned off as a slave, the men in the room shouting out ridiculous amounts of money for ownership of him. Even after some of his most rigorous training sessions back on the _Finalizer_ , Hux has never seen Ren look so exhausted. All his clothes, besides his black trousers, have been taken away from him and Hux chastises himself for feeling sentimental over the damn mask of Ren’s. The traders will probably auction that off too in time; anything for extra money. Ren’s eyes are half-lidded as the guard holding his chain yanks him to his feet and Ren stands obediently, struggling to hold his own neck up.

 _Come **on** , Ren, _Hux thinks in desperation, _use the Force, use **anything**_ _to save yourself!_

But Hux can see that Ren is too weak to even consider fighting back.

From where Hux is stood against the side wall, he can see the cuts and bruises that cover Ren’s body, a particularly nasty bruise already forming around his neck from the collar. But Hux notes something odd about Ren’s collar, something that makes it different from any of the others that he’s seen the other slaves wearing. It’s bulkier, for a start, jutting more outwards than the other collars, giving Ren less room to move his neck. Like the others, the collar is made from some sort of silver but Hux sees Ren’s collar is hollow and transparent, holding some sort of red liquid inside. As Ren is made to turn his back to the crowd, Hux finally realises why the collar is different, why it’s causing him so much added pain.

It’s a Force suppression collar. A _chemical_ Force suppression collar, Hux adds as he notes the needle embedded into the base of Ren’s neck. He’s only ever heard rumours about such torture devices being used to control those strong in the Force, he didn’t really think that they existed. There are barely any Force-users left in the entire galaxy but Hux supposes such devices were still bound to exist. After all, there is always a less-powerful man attempting to control those _with_ power. Hux recalls as much information he can about what he knows about the chemical collar, which is seemingly very little; he knows that the red liquid is a sedatitive, being administered into Ren’s system suppresses his connection to the Force, which explains why Ren isn’t putting up any sort of fight. Almost on cue, the guard holding Ren’s chain pushes him to his knees, Ren falling with little effort needed. He manages to muster up enough strength to catch himself on his hands, his dark hair falling in front of his face. The guard yanks his head back, exposing his neck for the crowd to see. Hux feels sick. This is so much worse than he’d originally anticipated.

The bidding for Ren continues, Hux sizing up every man who shouts out a numerical figure. Despite being a lot thinner and shorter than most of the men in the room, Hux has been in his fair share of fights and won, by unfair means or otherwise, so he’s damn sure he’ll beat any of these men in a fight for Ren. He feels the anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach, finding it increasingly more difficult to stay silent. His gaze locks onto Ren, who seems to be coming around a little more. Perhaps the dosage of the suppressant is wearing off, Hux thinks to himself, watching as Ren blinks hard, squinting at the audience. Hux suddenly feels his stomach drop as Ren looks directly at him and holds his gaze, as if Ren feels as though he recognises the redhead, but is unsure from where. Hux is tempted to look away from him but he feels as though he physically can’t, as though this is the last time that he’ll ever see Ren’s deep, brown eyes.

Chest heaving as adrenaline begins to cloud his senses, Hux listens to the crowd, waiting for someone to make the next offer.

“Fifteen thousand credits!” A man yells and the audience awes at the amount for a moment. The average bid for a slave was around eight thousand credits so Hux knows that this man clearly wanted Ren for himself. He shivers at the thought. As his gaze traces back to Ren, who’s still looking at _him_ , Hux feels his self-control slip away.

“Fifty thousand credits,” Hux says, barely recognising his own voice. The sea of faces in the audience turn to look at him with shocked expressions. He’s well aware of the fact that neither he nor Ren have got that kind of money to use to bargain their way out of here but Hux can't help himself. No man is walking out of here with Ren but _him._

The room settles into complete silence, Kit standing with his mouth slightly agape on the stage. Hux stands expressionless against the wall and folds his arms over his chest, pretending as though he’s getting impatient with the auction.

“Anyone care to go higher?” Kit asks, his eyes scanning the audience. “No? _Sold_!” He shouts into the microphone, pointing at Hux.

The guard drags Ren to his feet and Hux gets one last look at him, managing to see Ren’s lips form into a single word before he’s taken away.

“ _Hux.”_

Ren is dragged through the steel door by the guard holding his chain and it loudly bolts shut, keeping trespassers out until the auction finishes. One of Kit’s assistants approaches Hux with a small piece of paper in his hand. The large man thrusts it into Hux’s awaiting hand and promptly walks away. Hux looks down at the paper, seeing the number ‘9’ written on it. He stuffs it into his pocket, making sure that it’s safe. This little piece of paper is the only thing that will allow him access into the back to see Ren.

Hux’s mind reels over the eventful minutes that have just passed. He’s completely ignored his own plan to keep silent and made a ridiculous bid for Ren, a bid he knew he was going to be asked to pay before he could get Ren out of here. Hux knows he has to quickly strategize a new way of saving Ren but his mind is foggy after seeing Ren in such a state. Ren had said his name. _His_ name. Hux manages to successfully hide the joy on his face that Ren is indeed still in his own sound mind and hasn’t been broken enough to not recognise Hux’s face. Hux calms himself, bringing himself down. They haven’t won yet.

The auction draws to a close with all of the slaves being successfully sold to new owners. Hux runs over the new plan in his mind, ordering himself to stick to it this time. He stays standing completely still in the shadows, watching as the other ‘winning bidders’ make their way to the steel door to collect their prizes. He counts them, making sure that he’s the only one left who needs to pick up his new slave. He waits until there’s only a small, drunken group of men left standing at the bar to make his way to the steel door, his important paper clutched tightly in his hand. The guard on the door is about the same size as Hux, height and body-type but is significantly older. The guard on the door stares him down as he approaches but Hux doesn’t crumble. The General of the First Order isn’t intimidated by harsh stares.

Hux hands the guard the paper and the guard nods when he realises that Hux is the last to collect his prize. The guard hands the paper back to Hux and pulls the steel door open with ease and gestures with his head for Hux to go through. Politeness and manners aren’t his concern right now so Hux makes no gesture in return as thanks. He needs his mind completely focussed on retrieving Ren without getting them both killed. It’s going to be a tricky situation but Hux loves a good challenge. _But not when Ren’s life is at risk,_ he mentally corrects himself.

As the steel door clangs shut behind him, Hux finds himself in a wide, windowless corridor and it takes his eyes a second to adjust. When they do, the first word that comes to Hux’s mind is _‘prison’._ Jail cells run along the wall to his left, all with numbers above the doors. Hux peers down the corridor as much as he can and notes that the cell doors are of modern design, even though the cells themselves are not, as the prisoners are kept behind reinforced glass rather than the old metal bars, obviously so they are able to be watched if needed. But the floor inside the cells is concrete with the walls being regular grey bricks. Additionally, each cell has a keypad next to it which looks similar to those that can be found on First Order star destroyers, including the _Finalizer,_ giving Hux a little hope he’ll know how to operate them. He guesses that there’ll be some sort of master key card that will open all of the cells and that his best bet will be to locate that. Looking into Cell ‘1’ which is directly to his left, he sees that there isn’t even a bed, just a grey blanket on the floor. The anger rises in him and resists the urge to clench his fists. Lastly, he notes the muscular male sat behind a large desk to his right, papers carelessly organised on the table top.

The man stands up from his seat and walks over to Hux, who wants to breathe a sigh of relief when he sees that the man is the same height as him. Bulkier, yes, but Hux has fought bigger.

“Your slave number?” The man asks, holding his hand out.

Hux hands him the paper without saying anything. The man studies the paper and Hux absently unbuttons his coat, anticipating how the situation is going to play out.

“You’re the last one,” the man says, looking over to a piece of paper lying on the desk. He runs his chubby finger down a column of numbers and corresponding slave numbers, obviously looking for the amount that Hux has to pay.

“Number 9,” he says and looks back up at Hux. “Fifty thousand credits.”

Hux gives a solemn nod and slips his hand around his waist, pretending he’s reaching for his wallet in the back pocket of his trousers. In a very swift movement, Hux pulls the hidden blaster from the band of his trousers and swings it with as much strength as he can gather at the man’s head. The barrel of the blaster collides with the man’s temple, Hux immediately seeing that he’s managed to draw blood. Before the large man can fall, Hux manages to grab the front of his shirt, knowing that a man of his _large_ physique would make quite a big sound if he were to hit the concrete floor at full force. Hux lowers the unconscious man to the ground slowly, hoping that the sound of the blaster cracking against his head wasn’t too loud that the guard manning the steel door heard.

As soon as the man is on the floor, Hux searches his person for the master key card that will open all of the cells.

“Damn,” he says to himself when his search is unsuccessful. He rises to his feet and moves to the desk, hoping that the key card will be in here. The drawers in the desk are only small but Hux pulls all of them open, his breath hitching in his throat as he pulls one of the bottom ones completely open.

Ren’s lightsaber and deactivated comlink lie in there, free for the taking. He picks the comm up and stuffs it into his pocket, knowing he’ll be able to contact his troopers when he soon finds Ren. Hux finds his hand hesitating to pick up Ren’s lightsaber. He’s never been a fan of the unstable monstrosity but he knows how much it means to Ren, what it represents to him. He wraps his fingers around the shaft and picks it up gently. It’s surprisingly heavier than Hux thought it was going to be, he examines it in his grasp but Hux notes that he hasn’t time to complain about the weight of the damn thing. Deciding that he’s wasting too much time trying to find the key card, he decides that he’ll find another way to open the door, most likely just by blasting it open. Hux manages to clip the lightsaber to his belt and jogs down the corridor to Cell ‘9’, bracing himself for the state he’s going to find Ren in.

He skids to a halt in front of the ninth cell, feeling his heart quicken.

His gaze is immediately drawn downwards to the still form that lies on the floor against the back wall. Looking through the glass at Ren, Hux isn’t even sure whether the Knight is alive. He lies flat on his back, his eyes are closed and Hux can barely see any movement of his chest. Hux stares down at the still form of Kylo Ren, feeling a conflict inside of him; he desperately wants to get to Ren’s side, get him off this damn planet and back to the safety of the _Finalizer_ where no one else can harm…but Hux also wants to leave Ren behind the safety of the glass whilst he goes out and tears every single person who has anything to do with this operation apart as slowly and painful as he can. Unorthodox methods of torture had been a personal interest of Hux’s when he was at the academy and he was sure he could dig deep and come up with something particularly interesting for these men.

But he knows he has to put Ren’s safety above his own thirst for revenge.

Turning to the keypad, Hux begins tapping away on it, attempting to override the security lock. He could always just blast the damn thing off the wall but he guesses that the noise from the blaster shot would probably be enough to alert the guards that there’s trouble in the cells and he needs to hold them off for as long as possible. He accesses the basic security codes and rewrites them, reprogramming the combination of numbers needed to open the door. He looks up for a second, seeing that Ren hasn’t moved. Hux works quicker and soon, the thick glass that kept Ren from him swishes open and Hux is inside the cell, on his knees next to Ren.

Hux pulls his gloves off and tosses them aside, wanting to feel Ren’s pulse against his bare skin. He picks up the Knight’s wrist and slides two of his warm fingers across Ren’s cold skin. The tiniest thrum hits his fingers but Hux isn’t satisfied. He tips Ren’s chin up as gently as he can, absently noting the dark bruise underneath the collar, and presses his fingers to his neck, feeling content that there’s more of a steady pulse here.

“Ren?” Hux says, leaning over him and resisting the strong urge he has to run his hands through Ren’s untamed hair.

Ren stirs a little, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. His eyes scrunch tighter for a second before he manages to open them a little, looking up at Hux.

“You’re not real,” Ren replies in a hushed tone before unconsciousness threatens to take him again. “Hux doesn’t care...about me.” His head falls to the side as he shuts his eyes again.

Hux sits back, feeling as though he’d been punched in the chest. _Is that what Ren thinks of me?_

He pushes the feeling aside quickly, noting that he’ll address such matters later as time was still ticking away. Hux begins examining the collar, looking for a way to get it off of Ren. At least if he’s back in touch with the Force, Ren may be safer. He watches the red liquid slosh in the collar as he moves Ren’s neck, attempting to see the needle that’s inserted into his skin. It looks more complicated that he anticipated and Hux decides to leave it to the medics aboard the _Finalizer_ , he didn’t want to simply rip the thing out and cause Ren _more_ pain.

Pushing his arm underneath Ren’s shoulders, Hux helps him sit up. Ren’s head lolls as much as it can with the collar restricting his movements and he moans in pain as Hux leans him against the wall. Feeling unable to hold himself back, Hux smooths Ren’s hair back and out of his face, being slightly surprised at how soft it is. He reaches for the comlink in his pocket and adjusts it to the frequency that he’ll be able to reach his troopers on.

“ _Order 1_ to _Order 2,_ can you hear me?” He speaks in a hushed tone down the comlink, hoping that his troopers have obeyed his orders and stayed on the shuttle.

The comlink is static for a worrying few seconds before a trooper replies. “ _This is_ Order 2 _, we hear you, General. What are your orders?”_   BR-1367 answers, the trooper who sat opposite him on the journey here.

“I have successfully located Lord Ren but I am in need of back-up. My location is the largest building in the town, named ‘The Den’. Make your way here at once and bring a stretcher. Should you encounter any trouble on the way, deal with it in any way you see fit.”

_“Yes, General. Right away.”_

As soon as Hux puts the comlink away in his pocket, he hears the sound of the steel door being thrown open and two sets of footsteps running towards him. Hux looks at Ren’s vulnerable form before he stands up, facing the open door. He takes his blaster out, aiming it at the door, waiting for the attackers to rush in. The second that he sees a person appear in the doorway, Hux fires the blaster, the shot hitting the far wall with in a puff of smoke. Kit and the guard from the door show themselves, aiming their own blasters back at Hux.

“Next time, I won’t miss,” Hux says, his eyes burning into Kit’s skull.

To Hux’s dismay, Kit is smirking. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to afford a good slave like him,” Kit gestures to Ren, who is still slumped unconsciously against the wall. “If you walk away from this now, I won’t be forced to kill you.”

Hux stands his ground. He doesn’t move a muscle, except for the scowl on his face.

Kit suddenly fires his blaster, the shot aimed directly at the blaster in Hux’s hand. Hux gives a slight yell as his hand burns a little, his weapon being cleanly shot out of his hand. He stands weaponless in front of Kit and the guard, feeling as though he’s failed Ren.

“Now,” Kit says. “Move away from him. That boy doesn’t belong to you no matter how much you want to fuck him. That pretty mouth of his is gonna be resold to someone who will actually put it to good use.” Kit can see that Hux is becoming more irate with each sentence so he continues. “Bet he’s a real good fuck too. Bet he comes real loud with a cock shoved up his tight ass.”

Hux feels as though he’s going to explode.

Kit licks his lips. “Hell, maybe I keep the bitch for myself.”

As Hux’s last nerve disappears, he remembers that he has Ren’s lightsaber attached to his belt, hidden by his long coat. Hux whips his coat aside and pulls the lightsaber into his left hand and his finger finds the activation switch. The plasma blade crackles as the crossguard roars to life and Hux can feel the raw energy in his hand. Hux holds it defensively in front of Ren.

“I will tear you apart if you touch him.”

Hux’s tone is dark, much darker than he’s ever heard himself speak in before but the anger and hate for what this man has done to Ren, what he plans to do, is all he can feel. He feels a strange sense of power as he holds the lightsaber in his hand, like he could grab Ren and walk out of here right now, annihilating anyone who dares to stand in his way. Hux's mind is consumed by a dark rage, but he likes the power it's giving him. He enjoys seeing the fear in Kit’s eyes as he stares at the crackling blade, knowing that Hux won’t hesitate to run him through should he try do anything to Ren. Kit and the guard back down in the presence of the lightsaber, both of them lowering their blasters.

“O-only Jedi have lightsabers,” Hux hears the guard say in a shaky voice, he leans a little closer to Kit, “he must be a Force user too, just like Kylo Ren.”

Kit angrily turns to the guard, giving him a harsh stare.

“So you _do_ know who he is,” Hux says and takes an intimidating step forward, seeing Kit and the guard instinctively step back. “You know what he can do.” He moves the lightsaber closer to them and Hux swears he heard the guard whimper.

The only thing that stops Hux from cutting these men down where they stand is the sound of his four Stormtroopers approaching, their boots making a recognisable sound against the concrete floor. Kit and the guard turn to look at who’s approaching him, instinctively turning their weapons towards the troopers.

“Drop your weapons!” Hux hears one of the Stormtroopers yell and both men comply. Two of the troopers drag the two out of the way of the door and push them to their knees. Hux can’t help but smile at how rough his troopers are being.

“General,” one of the troopers enters the cell carrying a basic, make-shift stretcher. Hux deactivates the lightsaber, seeing that the trooper is slightly taken aback by the sight of General Hux holding Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

“Good work, trooper,” Hux praises, “the three of you stay out there and keep a close eye on these two.” Kit and the guard are on their knees with their hands locked behind their heads, all three of the trooper’s blasters pointed at their heads. Hux gestures to the trooper in front of him, “help me get Ren on the stretcher.”

Hux turns back to where he propped Ren up against the back wall, finding that the Knight hasn’t moved. The trooper sets about setting up the stretcher onto the floor, leaving it to Hux to rouse Ren.

“Ren? Can you hear me?” Hux squats next to him. He reaches out slowly and cups Ren’s cheek, helping him to hold his head up. Ren’s eyes open a little, meeting Hux’s gaze. He lets out a shuddering breath.

“Hux doesn’t care,” Ren says as his head rests against Hux’s hand, his eyes gently shutting again. “Hux…won’t save me.”

Hux feels his heart being tugged at. _Of course I’ll save you, you idiot_ , he thinks and finds himself running his thumb over Ren’s bruised cheekbone. Hux knows that the trooper stood behind him is watching him get sentimental over Kylo Ren but Hux doesn’t care. Too many times has he seen Ren injured and had to restrain himself from reaching out and comforting him. This was the worst condition he’d ever seen Ren in and to think what may have happened to him if Hux hadn’t decided to investigate his disappearance makes Hux feel physically sick. He tries not to think about the fact that Ren may have already been... _used._

The sound that Ren makes startles Hux out of his thoughts. He sounds as though he’s being suffocated; his breath hitches in his throat and his eyes are open wide. But as his arm attempts to pull at the collar, Hux realises that another dose of suppressants is being forced into his system.

“Ren!” Hux calls and attempts to grab him and hold him but Ren is writhing too much. He grits his teeth, stifling back yells as more of the red liquid is administered into his body. Ren’s breathing becomes erratic as he lies on the floor, his back arching off the ground. “What’s happening to him?!” Hux yells, turning around to stare at Kit.

Kit looks back at Hux with a completely calm expression, his tone relaxed. “It’s a chemical Force suppression collar. It’s releasing a Class II neurological poison into his system, stopping him from touching the Force.” Kit’s expression changes to one of hatred. “It’s painful, sure, but it’s the most effective way of stopping a monster like him.”

Hux turns back to Ren just in time to see his brown eyes roll back as he passes out, the pain obviously too much for him to bare without being in contact with his Force powers, his body trembling as his consciousness leaves him. Hux doesn’t hesitate to pick up Ren’s lightsaber again, which is lying on the floor next to its owner. Seething, he ignites it and takes long strides to where Kit is kneeling. He presses the crackling plasma blade to Kit’s neck but makes sure that it doesn’t touch his skin but close enough that he is sure Kit would feel the heat.

“Take the damn collar off him or I’ll rip you apart,” Hux says, staring down at Kit.

Kit raises his gaze slowly, staring Hux dead in the eye. “ _No.”_

Hux scowls. He moves the lightsaber away from Kit’s neck and presses the cross guard against his cheek, watching as Kit’s skin burns away underneath the unstable blade. Kit cries out in pain but Hux doesn’t stop. He presses harder, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

“Fuck! Alright, _alright_!” Kit yells and Hux stops, dragging the man to his feet by the collar of his leather jacket as the deep cut in his cheek turns bright red. Being as rough as he can, Hux drags him into Ren’s cell and Kit falls to his knees next to the unconscious Knight. Kit rolls Ren onto his side and begins to work on the mechanics that will remove the collar. Hux stands and watches, making sure that Kit is causing no further harm to Ren. Kit’s fingers move carefully, obviously fearing losing a limb or two should be not comply with Hux’s wishes. Soon enough, Hux hears the mechanics of the collar unlock and Kit pulls it off Ren completely, Kit being conscious not to touch the end of the needle that is still leaking a little of the red liquid.

“Move away from him,” Hux says, holding the lightsaber in Kit’s face. Kit holds his hands up and does as he’s told, moving back to his kneeling position but not before being hit by one of the trooper’s blasters.

Ren is still unconscious but with the collar gone, Hux can see the bruises on his neck. Ren needs desperate medical attention. Hux had no idea what being so out of touch with the Force has done to such a powerful Dark Side-user like Ren and Hux absently hopes that Ren's powers haven't been permanently damaged. Hux and the trooper manage to lift Ren onto the stretcher. Hux squats next to Ren and finds himself removing his black coat to drape it over Ren’s bare torso, knowing that the harsh wind outside will do him no good.

“Fetch the ship,” Hux orders the trooper, “bring it closer to the town. We need to get Lord Ren on board and out of the cold as quickly as possible. Oh, and bring some handcuffs back with you.”

“Yes, sir.” The trooper stands and leaves, leaving Hux with Ren in the cell.

Of course, Hux has seen Ren without his mask on before but never has Hux looked at his young face for such a long period of time. He studies Ren’s features, ignoring the bruise on his left cheekbone. He looks far too young to have a reputation as astute as he does.

_The mask._

It must be here somewhere along with all of Ren’s other clothes that were taken from him when he was robbed of his freedom. Hux hates the damned mask but he knows that Ren wouldn’t be pleased if Hux left it behind. Hux stands and walks to Kit and the guard.

“His possessions. Where are they?”

Kit looks over to the guard who seems to be hesitative to talk. Hux looks at one of the Stormtroopers who reads his General’s expression well and smacks the guard in the head with the barrel of his blaster.

“Ow! In Cell 10,” he replies, “it’s where we keep some of the slaves’ possessions they're brought in with.”

“Retrieve them. Now,” Hux says, his tone stern.

The aggressive trooper escorts the guard to the cell next door, leaving Hux with Kit.

Kit looks up slowly at Hux, looking him up and down.

"You weren't looking for just any slave, were you?" Kit asks, with a frown. "You were looking for him. Specifically, him. You work for the First Order." Hux doesn't reply, he only stares down at the man who's caused Ren so much agony. Kit shurgs. "And here I was thinking that the Order wouldn't be bothered if their crazed Kylo Ren went missing. I hear he and their prized General don't get along anyway."

Hux looks away from Kit.

"No... _you're_ General Hux?" Kit says as his eyes widen. He stares at Hux for too long as though he's analysing him. "You're smaller than I imagined. And more..." Kit gestures to his head. " _Red."_

Hux scolws, failing to see what the colour of his hair has to do with his military rank.

"But I was right then, I suppose." Kit's tone is cockier now, as though he's attempting to get under Hux's skin. "You want his mouth all to yourself. Let me tell you, Hux. That boy is too good at sucking cock--"

Before Kit can even finish his sentence, Hux grabs him by the collar of his jacket and pushes him back against the wall, the slaver's head hitting the brick with a loud thud. Hux presses his forearm against Kit's throat, cutting off his air, making him choke. Hux is seething with rage, his senses clouded by nothing but anger.

"Say anything else about him and I'll _disembowel_ you with my bare hands," Hux snarls and presses his arm further into Kit's throat.

The guard returns swiftly with Ren’s clothing, his robes folded neatly together with his mask on top. Just before Kit is about to lose consciousness, Hux releases him, watching as the slaver slumps to the floor, coughing violently. The guard stands back, staring with wide, frightened eyes at Hux. He hands Ren's possessions gingerly to Hux, who snatches them off him. He returns to Ren in the cell and covers him over with his long robe, hoping that it’ll be enough to protect him from the cold.

When the trooper returns from the ship with handcuffs, Hux takes great pleasure in seeing Kit and the guard be manhandled into the cuffs. Kit’s cheek is ruined after Hux burned him with the lightsaber but Hux couldn’t care less. Their punishment in First Order prison would be much, much worse. Hux will personally that Kit is _properly looked after._

“Throw them in the cell,” Hux orders as the troopers haul them to their feet. “I’ll send a shuttle to retrieve them in a few days to arrest them.” There was no way he's allowing Kit on the same shuttle as Ren. He’ll send Phasma back here once he returns to the _Finalizer_ to arrest them. She probably wouldn’t call Ren her ‘friend’ but she’d recognise the harm that Kit has caused him so she’d be rough enough, Hux is sure.

As the four troopers carry Ren’s stretcher out of the building, Hux walks vigilantly next to them, his eyes locked on Ren’s face and his mask cradled in his arms. Hux can’t imagine the suffering that Ren has gone through in the past day and the amount of pain he’s _going_ to be put through when he gets to medbay on the _Finalizer._ But the sooner they are home, the sooner Ren would be safe. As they get outside, a steady amount of snow is beginning to fall, the white flakes sticking to Ren’s dark hair.

Staring at the bruises and cuts on his body, Hux feels overwhelmed.

_I’m sorry, Ren. I’m so sorry._


	3. Chapter 3

Though the journey back to the _Finalizer_ is only short, Hux feels as though he’s been on this cramped shuttle for days, keeping a vigilant watch over Ren’s unmoving body. Upon returning to the shuttle, one of the troopers had noticed that a small cot pulled out from the back wall and had suggested that they lie Lord Ren on that, seeing as Hux had been less than pleased when he realised that their only other option was to simply place Ren’s stretcher on the cold floor. _He’s spent enough time lying on the cold floor,_ Hux had though as they’d lifted Ren onto the cot, being cautious of his injured state. Ren hasn’t so much as opened his eyes for the duration of their journey and Hux is worried. Ren’s mask is heavy in his lap, Hux feeling hyperaware of its weight. He looks down at it for a moment and notices scuff marks and dents on it, hoping that they weren’t caused by the slavers.

The shuttle docks in the hangar of the _Finalizer_ without any problems and the medics are waiting for them with a _real,_ hydraulic stretcher like Hux had requested. He leaves the shuttle and walks down the ramp, all of Ren’s belongings held protectively in his arms. The team of medics rush the stretcher onto the shuttle as soon as Hux is out the way, with the head doctor staying behind to talk to Hux.

“Lord Ren needs to be assessed quickly,” Hux says, “he’s been the victim of many beatings and has extensive bruising around his neck that you must be careful with.”

“Of course, General,” the doctor agrees.

“He’s also been unable to reach out to the Force for a significant period of time. He...may be a little restless as he reconnects.”

The doctor nods and turns to leave but Hux grabs his arm, his fingers holding on tightly. The medic turns back around and is unable to stop his hands from shaking as he meets Hux’s stern gaze.

“Should anything happen to him, you shall have _me_ to answer to. Is that understood?”

The medic nods, “yes, sir,” and hastily leaves before Hux can say anything else to him. Across the _Finalizer,_ Hux is known for his unforgiving attitude towards mistakes. He hopes his reputation would be enough to scare the medic into being overly cautious with Ren. He watches as the team of medics wheel Ren’s stretcher carefully down the ramp of the shuttle. They’ve already placed an oxygen mask over Ren’s nose and mouth and seeing the Knight so weak sends shivers across Hux’s skin.

Hux doesn’t follow Ren to medbay. Instead, he makes his way back to his quarters, desperate to have a wash and to get back into his familiar clothes. As he enters his room, he exhales for a long couple of seconds and closes his eyes. He supposes that he’s only in his quarters because he’s _avoiding_ Ren. He supposes that he should be overseeing Ren’s progress in medbay but Hux thinks of the things Ren had said to him in the den.

_‘Hux doesn’t care about me. Hux…won’t save me.’_

Hux knows that he and Ren don’t have the _best_ relationship but too many times has Hux made sure that Ren had gotten enough sleep, that he hadn’t missed a meal or that Hux had pretended not to see the tears slipping down Ren’s face after a particularly harsh scolding from the Supreme Leader. _Of course_ Hux cares. Ren is a mess, a mix of disorder and chaos. And how Hux loves to organise things.

He sets Ren’s belongings down on the table and walks towards his bathroom, removing the jumper as he goes. He tosses the thing aside, making it land on one of the arms of his couch and feeling more than relieved to have it off. He can’t wait to get back into his uniform; neat and comfortable. As he turns the sink tap on, he thinks of Ren, alone in medbay, surrounded by medics all poking and prodding him with medical equipment like he’s some sort of human experiment. He splashes water on his face, the guilt of not being there when Ren wakes up settling uncomfortably over him.

 _He’s spent enough time alone,_ Hux thinks and switches the tap off. He walks briskly to his wardrobe and puts on his First Order uniform, hoping that a little familiarity may help Ren when he wakes up. He's a little annoyed at the fact that he doesn't remember where he's placed his beloved greatcoat. Hux turns to the mirror and restrains himself from groaning at he sees his hair. It’s a lot messier than he likes it, with red strands sticking out all over the place. He smooths them down, fighting a particularly stubborn set of strands that want to hang freely over his forehead. After he’s content with his uniform, Hux makes his way down to see Ren, feeling as though he’s back on Korda IV, walking towards Ren’s cell for the first time, being completely unsure of what he’s going to find.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

The medical wing aboard the _Finalizer_ is as clinically clean as Hux likes; the white panelled walls are spotless and all the medics walk around in pristine white clothing. On a regular day, Hux may have even considered praising them for their excellent sense of hygiene but today is not a regular day. He approaches one of the nurses and asks her to direct him towards Ren’s room. She complies and escorts him down the long, bright corridor to one of the private rooms at the very end. She smiles at him before she leaves him and Hux almost wishes she’d come back; to hold a conversation with him so he didn’t have to enter Ren’s room and see the damage that those slavers have done to him. He brings himself to look through the small panel of glass in the door, seeing the steady rise and fall of Ren’s bruised chest. Gathering himself, Hux pushes the door open and enters.

Ren is no longer wearing the oxygen mask which reassures Hux that his breathing is back under control. He lies under a thin blanket in the bed, his bare torso looking cleaner than it did before, but Hux can see the damage more clearly now. Ren’s chest is littered with cuts, some which look like nail marks, with dark bruises across his stomach and cheek. The worst bruise is the one that travels around his neck. It looks incredibly painful and Hux absently wonders whether it’ll affect Ren’s ability to swallow food. He hopes not; he knows Ren’s diet is already poor, the Knight exhausting himself with strict training regimes to the point where he forgets to eat. Hux has left food by Ren’s door on more than one occasion but Hux thinks nothing of it. He’s sure Ren doesn’t either.

Ren’s arms lie on top of the blanket and Hux sits in the chair that is placed conveniently next to the bed. As he continues to scan Ren's battered body, he takes particular note of the bruises around Ren’s wrists, no doubt from the metal slave cuffs. He stares at Ren’s face, taking in his relaxed features, the way that his dark hair pools around his head on the white pillow. Hux wonders if Ren remembers what he’s been through or whether he’ll use some sort of Force trick to block it out.

A gentle knock on the door rouses Hux from his thoughts. He looks over to see the head medic that he threatened before opening the door slowly, obviously feeling hesistant to approach the General in case of another violent encounter.

“General? I am sorry to disturb you, sir, but could I have a moment?”

Hux looks back at Ren as though he's asking permission to leave him. Hux stands, following the medic to the corridor outside.

“How is he?” Hux asks as soon as the door closes behind him.

The medic takes his glasses off. “He’s responding well, sir. Physically, his wounds will heal and the sedatives that were forcibly administered to him are working their way out of his system so he should awaken soon but…I’m sorry, General. We are not experts in the Force so we are unable to determine what being so disconnected from it will do to Lord Ren’s powers.”

Hux nods. He knows that expecting such general medical practitioners to understand Ren’s connection to the Force was unrealistic. Still, he was expecting to be told something a little more concrete.

“However, I am optimistic about his mental recovery, General,” the medic says, obviously noting how Hux’s expression became a little distressed by his previous statement. The medic puts his glasses back on, pushing them up his freckled nose. “By our calculations, Lord Ren was only forced to wear the collar for approximately 8 standard hours and he is….very powerful in the Force. I would remain hopeful that he will make a full recovery, if I were you.”

Internally, Hux thanks the man for his attempts at keeping his spirits up but another question is burning away inside Hux’s mind.

“Is there…any sign of any _other_ forms of assault?” Hux asks, feeling as though he’s showing a little too much concern for Ren’s wellbeing in front of his crew. But he must know.

The medic hesitates for a moment and Hux feels his knees shake, fearing the answer. “There are marks on his body which suggest that he may have been… _used_ for sexual means _,_ but there is no internal damage, sir. Lord Ren was not raped.”

Hux finds himself feeling nauseated at the thought of those slavers having their way with Ren but he’s extremely relieved to hear that it never got to that point.

There’s suddenly a loud crash and a subsequent groaning coming from Ren’s room. Hux is quick through the door, nearly knocking the medic over in his desperation to see what was wrong. Ren’s back is arched off the bed as his heels dig into the mattress, his brow sweating. His knuckles are turning white as he grips the blanket in his fist, moaning in pain. Hux looks around the room to see that the furniture and equipment is shaking vigorously as everything begins to hover off the floor.

“No, _no_ ,” Ren moans, tossing his head to the side.

“He must be coming back into touch with the Force,” the medic says loudly over the sound of rattling metal.

 _Either that or he’s having a nightmare,_ Hux thinks, watching Ren’s chest heave. _He’s going to hurt himself,_ is Hux’s only thought as he steps towards the bed, leaning over Ren.

“Ren! You have to calm down,” Hux says and finds himself grabbing Ren’s hand. He holds it tightly, letting Ren know that he’s safe, that he’s aboard their star destroyer and away from the slavers. “You’re safe.” Hux leans in a little closer, seeing that Ren hearing his voice is seemingly calming him down. “You’re safe, Kylo. Everything’s alright.”

Ren’s breathing evens out and his body relaxes back into sleep. Hux stands up straight, letting go of Ren’s hand. He looks over to the medic, who is stood in shock by the door, staring at spot the where Hux's hand was entwined with Ren's.

“If you breathe a word about this to _anyone,_ I will have your head. Understood?”

“Yes, General. Of course, General.” The medic slips out the door quickly, being afraid that if he stays any longer, he’ll witness something that he won’t be able to keep to himself.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

Hux is overseeing work on the bridge the next day when he is informed that Lord Ren is showing promising signs of waking soon. Hux doesn’t need to be told twice. He leaves Mitaka in charge of the bridge and sweeps down to medbay, his footfalls echoing loudly as he moves briskly down the corridors. He doesn’t speak to any of the medics as he walks to Ren’s room, feeling as they know how he calmed the distressed Knight. His reputation of being cold and unforgiving is at risk of being compromised but he supposes he’ll address the rumours later if the time comes.

Ren is still unconscious when he enters his room and Hux takes a seat in the chair to wait for Ren to wake up. He removes his leather gloves and finds himself staring at the burn marks on his hand from where Kit’s blaster fire caught some of his skin when he shot Hux’s weapon from his hand. Hux knows he should have probably gotten the burns treated but he abandons the thought. A small burn on the back of his hand is compltely trivial in comparison to Ren’s wounds.

“Hux.”

Hux looks over at Ren, who is looking at him through half-lidded eyes. Hux sits forward, leaning closer to him. He looks a little disorientated but Hux supposes that is to be expected.

“Nice of you to return to the land of the living,” Hux says, sounding more jokey than he intended.

“Where…?” Ren asks, his voice sounding a little gruff. He looks around the room as though he doesn't recognise his surroundings.

“Medbay on the _Finalizer._ Do you remember what happened?”

Ren moves his hand up to his neck, obviously feeling whether or not the collar is gone. His eyes shut for a moment in relief as he realises that he’s free. “Slavers,” he says, running his fingers across the bruise.

“Yes. But you don’t have to even think about them. Phasma has arrested them and I will ensure that they are not killed quickly.”

Hux thinks that the news of the slaver’s suffering will be of some comfort to Ren but the Knight’s expression doesn’t change.

Hux clears his throat. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Ren replies, lifting his arm up to look at the bruises on his wrists.

“And the Force?” Hux asks, feeling as though Ren probably thinks it’s none of his business, seeing as Hux isn’t Force-sensitive.

“It’s coming back to me slowly. Tell me something, Hux,” Ren starts and Hux feels as though he knows what Ren is going to ask. “Did the Supreme Leader order you to _personally_ find me after I failed to report in?

Hux swallows and looks down at his hands. “Yes. He did. He sensed you were in danger.”

Ren is silent for a couple of seconds. Hux can feel his gaze burrowing into him.

“You’re…you’re lying, Hux.” Ren says in a tone as though he’s shocked by it. “You avoid my eyes when you lie to me.”

There’s absolutely no way Hux wants to have this conversation now so he abruptly stands, pulling his gloves back onto his cold hands. He steps away from the bed.

“I wish you a swift recovery, Lord Ren. I will alert the medics that you are awake,” Hux says and, before Ren can reply, he’s out of the door and walking away from medbay, away from Ren.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

Pouring himself a large glass of his favourite Andoan wine, Hux feels releaved that he won’t ever have to drink that foul Adumari beer that he had on Korda IV ever again. The aftertaste just isn’t something that he cared for; wine is much more to his liking. He watches the dark liquid swirl in his tall glass, feeling as though he’s deserved more than a strong drink for the things he’s gone through in the past couple of days. Just as he’s about to take his first sip, he hears a knock at his door. He groans, wanting nothing more than to be left alone with his wine in the hopes that, if he drinks enough, he'll forget all about how he feels about Ren. He gets up from the couch and walks to the door, ready to curse whoever had decided to disturb him. The door swishes open to reveal a tired-looking Kylo Ren, wearing nothing but clean, black trousers and a loose black shirt.

“You look terrible,” Hux says and gestures for Ren to enter, the door shutting behind them.

“You don’t look so good yourself. At least I’ve got an excuse.”

“Did…did you walk all the way up here _barefoot?!”_ Hux asks, looking down at Ren’s feet.

Ren has already gravitated towards his belongings that lie on Hux’s table. “ _You’re_ in possession of my boots. Tell me, General, how was I supposed to put my boots on if they’re in _your_ quarters?” He pulls his shoes on whilst staring at Hux inquisitively.

Hux supposes Ren has a point but he doesn’t reply. Absently, Hux wonders why he _did_ leave Ren’s possessions in his own quarters. _An excuse for Ren to come here, perhaps?_ Hux disagrees with himself, putting it down to the fact that he didn’t want to trespass in Ren’s own quarters to leave his clothes there.

Ren picks up his mask, his fingers tracing over the new marks that are etched into its metal.

Hux picks up his wine, swallowing a significant amount of it. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not really.” Ren sets his mask back down and picks up his robe, putting it on. “Talking about how they attacked me and touched me and beat me won’t do either of us any good, Hux. Trust me.” Ren’s eyes look sad, Hux thinks, sadder than he’s ever seen them before. The bruise on his cheek is healing well but there are fresh, tired bags under his eyes.

“Fancy a drink?” Hux asks, feeling as though Ren wants him to change the subject.

Ren shakes his head, pulling his robe tighter around him. “I want to know why you came for me.”

Hux swallows more of the wine. “You’re a valuable asset to the Order, Ren. Snoke would have my head if you were killed.” He looks up at Ren, who isn’t looking back at him.

“That’s not the truth,” Ren says, meeting Hux’s gaze. “I can sense it.”

Before Hux can reply, he notices Ren grit his teeth together, like he's suddenly in pain. His legs become shaky and Hux finds himself lurching forward to aid Ren to remain standing, his arm supporting the Knight’s strong shoulders. Ren throws his arm around Hux’s shoulders as Hux takes some of his weight. Ren lets out a shaky breath.

“Are you alright?” Hux asks as they shuffle over to the sofa.

Ren nods. “It’s the Force. It’s just…a little overwhelming, after being cut off from it.” Hux stares at Ren worriedly as he eases himself down onto Hux’s couch. Ren visibly winces. “I don’t mean to be rude, Hux, but do you think you could try and keep your loud thoughts to a minimum?”

Hux frowns. “My…loud thoughts?”

Ren rubs his eyes hard with the back of his hand. “You have a tendency to think very loudly. I often find myself shielding myself from you and your… _private_ thoughts.”

 _Private thoughts?_ Hux thinks, feeling alarmed that none of his secrets were safe if Ren had been reading his mind this whole time.

Ren looks as though he’s about to make a snide remark but his attention is drawn to the jumper that Hux tossed aside yesterday. He holds it in his hand, rubbing the material between his fingers.

“Where did you get this?” He asks, looking up at Hux.

“It’s mine.”

Ren shakes his head. “No, it’s not. It’s mine.”

Hux is about to continue protesting but quickly remembers how large the jumper was on him, how the shoulders of the thing didn’t fit his as well as it should have done and how he’d found it stuffed in the very back of his wardrobe.

“Why would your clothing be in my quarters?” Hux asks, raising an eyebrow.

Ren smirks.

“Oh, do behave yourself, Ren. You know what I mean.” Hux sits down on the couch next to Ren, making sure there’s a significant gap between their hips. The last thing Hux needs right now is to be compromised by sitting too close to Ren. He's already afraid that his feelings may betray him if he _thought_ about them too loudly, if that’s how the Force works.

Hux shrugs, "it probably got mixed up in the last laundry load."

Ren makes a small noise in agreement but Hux isn't convinced. He knows there's something Ren isn't telling him but he decides to leave it. For now.

They sit in an uncomfortable silence for a minute, avoiding each other’s gaze but after being quiet with his own thoughts for too long, Hux feels the need to ask Ren a burning question.

“Do you remember what you said to me when I first found you in the cells?”

Hux looks over at him to see him nod. “I said that I knew you didn’t care about me, that you wouldn’t save me.”

Hux feels hurt all over again but he tries not to let his expression show it. “Did you really believe that?”

Ren is quiet for a few seconds as though he’s choosing whether to tell Hux the truth or not. “I was being pumped full of sedatives and suppressants, Hux. It doesn’t matter.”

“ _Did you really believe that?”_ Hux’s tone sounds incredibly desperate, as if he’s dying to know Ren’s answer. He turns his whole body to face him, crossing one of his legs underneath him on the couch. When Ren does answer, Hux almost wishes he hadn’t asked.

“Yes. I did.” Ren looks over at Hux, seeing the General straighten his back, looking distressed at Ren’s answer. Ren continues, “I’ve seen what you think of me, Hux. I don’t have to probe your mind to see how much you despise me. How you think I’m reckless and useless and that the Supreme Leader’s faith in me is misplaced.” Hux can tell that Ren is getting angrier with each word. “You think that I’m unreliable, that I’m not a valuable asset like Snoke tells you, that I’m just an insolent child who gets angry when things don’t go my way. So tell me, General. Why would I believe that you’d care enough about me to save me?”

Hux stares back at Ren, unknowing of how to reply. “I…I don’t-“

“Yes, you do, Hux.” Ren rubs his palms over his thighs. Hux absently notes that Ren’s lightsaber is on his desk, that Ren could reach for it at any second and run him through. “Why did you risk your own life to save mine?”

Hux looks away, feeling unable to look Ren in the eye. He feels Ren skimming the edges of his mind. Hux tells him why, but not out loud.

 _Because I don’t despise you. Not at all. You may be reckless at times but your unpredictability is what makes you strong. The power you have is completely unmatched, I’m sure you’re even stronger than Snoke. And I have to constantly remind myself that you’re fighting against your own demons that most people would have succumbed to by now but not you, Kylo Ren. You never cease to surprise me; your chaos and my order. Is it any wonder why the First Order runs so efficiently with us at its helm? So your question should be this; why the hell **wouldn’t**_ _I risk my life to save yours?_

Hux suddenly feels Ren’s hand on his cheek, turning his face towards Ren. Hux gathers what courage he has left and looks Ren in the eye, being surprised at how calm the Knight looks. Hux is sure now is the time Ren would reach for his lightsaber and kill him, especially if Ren _had_ been able to read all of those thoughts. Instead of reaching for his lightsaber, Ren leans forward, his gaze drifting down to Hux’s lips. Hux feels Ren’s other hand cover his as he leans in, meeting Ren’s lips with his own in a soft kiss. Ren’s hand remains on Hux’s cheek and Hux finds his own free hand resting on Ren’s thigh. Absently, Hux thinks that his lips must taste of the wine he’s been drinking but Ren doesn’t seem to be bothered. Ren pulls away first but stays close to Hux, resting his forehead against his, exhaling through his nose for a long couple of seconds.

“What’s wrong?” Hux asks, seeing that Ren’s eyes still look sad. Ren sits back against the sofa, moving his dark hair from his face.

“I just…you hated me.”

“As I’m sure you hated me, Ren. We’re both insufferable idiots.”

For the first time in his life, Hux sees Ren smile; his full lips curve upwards, his cheeks glow and Hux even swears he sees a small dimple appear on Ren’s cheek. And it’s just about the most glorious thing he’s ever set his eyes on. Hux can’t help but smile too.

But Ren’s smile soon fades.

“I’m sorry,” Ren says.

“So am I,” Hux replies, knowing that they’re both apologising for different reasons. “Are you alright?”

Ren nods, “I will be. There’s just one problem I have with your recent mission to Korda IV, _General_.”

Hux decides to humour him. “And what would that be?”

“It took you too long to find me.” At first, Hux thinks Ren is being completely serious and Hux is about to apologise but Ren’s tone changes and Hux relaxes. “It shouldn’t take a man of _your_ position that amount of time to locate their target.”

“Fine,” Hux says and leans close to Ren, holding the Knight’s dark gaze. “Perhaps I shall consider putting a tiny position sensor in your belt.”

Ren scoffs. “I don’t plan on needing rescuing ever again, Hux.”

Hux smiles, knowing that Ren probably wouldn’t approve of a position sensor on his person at all times. Still, Hux is sure that Ren, being as reckless and as fascinating as he is, will need Hux to save him from some form of oblivion in the near future.

And Hux is certain that he’ll be there to burn with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finishing this has proven to me just how much I ship Kylo and Hux. I was thinking of writing a companion piece to this where the events that happened are told from Kylo's perspective instead of Hux's, like it has been here, covering why Kylo's jumper is in Hux's wardrobe ;) Let me know what you think of that idea!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


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